Can the same medicine be taken for a cold from heat and a cold from cold?

Written by Wang Chun Mei

Pulmonology

Updated on October 19, 2024

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The common cold is a very common upper respiratory tract infection. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, patients are usually classified into hot-type colds and cold-type colds. Hot-type colds generally occur in the summer, while cold-type colds are more often caused by accidentally catching cold in the winter.

For such patients, Western medicine may not show a clear distinction in symptoms and tends to be somewhat generic in medication use. However, in traditional Chinese medicine, distinguishing between cold and hot colds is very important in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections.

Therefore, when choosing medication treatment, Western drugs often do not differentiate much between hot and cold colds, while Chinese medicine treatments for colds vary significantly. For example, the most common cold treatment, Chai Hu formula, is divided into Chai Hu formula and proper Chai Hu formula. The Chai Hu formula is used for treating hot-type colds, while the proper Chai Hu formula is used for some cold-type colds. Thus, in clinical practice, some medications can treat both hot and cold colds, but some cannot.

Other Voices

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Written by Feng Hai Tao

Pediatrics

1min 59sec

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How to take care of a child with a cold

How to take care of a child during a cold? First, it is essential to ensure that the child rests in bed. Provide the child with plentiful water, offering small amounts frequently. If the child does not want to drink water, you can appropriately add some juice or glucose water. Also, monitor the temperature changes, generally measuring the temperature under the armpit. Second, it is crucial to keep windows open for ventilation at home, avoiding too cold or too hot environments, as neither is conducive to the child’s recovery from illness. Third, based on the changes in temperature, adjust the child’s clothing accordingly but avoid dressing the child too warmly or covering too thickly, as this can hinder heat dissipation. This is not only detrimental to the child’s recovery but can also exacerbate the illness and potentially lead to heat rash. Fourth, if the child sweats excessively, be sure to wipe the sweat timely and change their clothes. Fifth, in terms of diet, adopt a strategy of small, frequent meals that are light and easy to digest. The child should avoid eating fish, shrimp, spicy, and other stimulating foods. If the child has poor appetite or indigestion, do not force-feed them. Instead, frequently massage their abdomen, and if necessary, administer oral medication to aid digestion. Sixth, ensure adequate caloric intake and that the child urinates frequently and has regular bowel movements. Seventh, actively apply symptomatic treatment for the child and avoid the misuse of antibiotics. If the temperature persists for more than three days or if the condition worsens, it is imperative to visit the hospital promptly to avoid delaying the child's condition.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei

Pulmonology

1min 1sec

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Cold with nasal congestion, fear of cold, and sweating is what kind of cold?

A cold, also known as an upper respiratory tract infection, often occurs due to decreased immune function, inadvertent exposure to cold, or infection by certain viruses, bacteria, or pathogens, leading to clinical symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, fever, sore throat, and chills. When a patient with a cold has a fever, it invariably causes a sensation of chilliness throughout the body, along with cold extremities. If such patients are given appropriate antiviral, heat-clearing, detoxifying, and fever-reducing medications for symptomatic treatment, usually after the fever subsides, a process of sweating occurs, which is very common in clinical practice, especially in cases of febrile colds. Therefore, in clinical practice, regardless of the type of cold causing the fever or symptoms like nasal congestion, it is essential to provide timely symptomatic treatment with medications to alleviate these uncomfortable clinical symptoms.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun

Traditional Chinese Medicine

35sec

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How to physically reduce fever for a cold caused by wind-cold

Patients with wind-cold common cold who have a fever can apply a hot towel to their forehead, use moxibustion, or soak their feet in warm water, all of which can help reduce their temperature effectively. Moreover, in terms of diet, it is essential to avoid greasy and cold foods, as well as carbonated drinks and strong tea. It is best to eat light, easily digestible foods, and drink more jasmine tea or chrysanthemum tea, which can dispel wind and cold, achieving effective improvement. Medication can also be taken to provide timely and rapid treatment.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan

Neonatology

56sec

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Differences between viral colds and bacterial colds in children

When children have a viral cold, they have a runny nose with clear mucus, whereas bacterial colds usually do not involve a runny nose, or the discharge is purulent. In viral colds, children may have a fever but generally remain in good spirits, and their spirits return to normal after the fever subsides. In contrast, with bacterial colds, children experience fluctuating high temperatures, poor spirits after the fever subsides, and may show symptoms such as chills and cold hands and feet. Viral colds typically present more nasal discharge than throat symptoms; when the tonsils are inflamed, they appear smooth and bright red, whereas in bacterial colds, the inflamed tonsils are uneven, dull, and sometimes with visible pus spots.

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Written by Hu Bai Yu

Pulmonology

58sec

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What soup to drink for a cold?

During a cold, it is advisable to eat some liquid foods appropriately. If it is a cold caused by wind-cold, at this time, you can appropriately drink some brown sugar ginger water, which can expel the coldness in the body and alleviate some symptoms of the wind-cold cold. If it is a wind-heat cold, then you can drink some rock sugar pear water or Fritillaria pear water at this time, which has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing fire, moisturizing the lungs, and relieving cough. At the same time, it is recommended that everyone must pay attention to getting more rest during a cold, not to overwork, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, supplement vitamins, and increase their resistance. Additionally, it is also appropriate to drink some millet juice or vegetable juice, and yam juice, etc., which can supplement the body's vitamins and meet the body's needs for vitamins.